Daniel, who is a member of the community of readers of these DMs, yesterday offered a threefold answer to my question about the legitimation of cruelty. I find his answer enlightening. He points to the objectification of the “other” starting with Nature, to sensory overload which produces desensitization, and to the “syndrome of the cornered tiger.”
Sadly, each of these reasons looks quite true to me, and deserves our attention individually. But we can also look at how they interplay with each other. Reverting the order in which Daniel presented them, I would say the following.
We suppress our deep terror of living in an “end age” caused by our folly as a species. We top that with an awfully excessive use of screens and a very large consumption of videos. At that point, the age-old objectification of others cannot remain at more-or-less contained levels. It’s a boiling pot that can only explode.
Please prove me wrong. I don’t want to be right, and certainly I don’t want to become cynical.
Dire situations call for radical solutions. So we need to face each of these issues — which are bad enough on their own, but are deadly taken together — squarely and forcefully. And we need to talk to others about it, starting perhaps with the one issue that seems more palatable to them. Strategy is also important.
- Let’s stop being cornered tigers. Let’s model a life of awareness of the present ecological crisis, showing to “unbelievers” that one can live with the huge tensions caused by such awareness while continuing to love and care;
- Let’s drastically reduce our time on screens*, planning conscious activities which do not involve them, and using them for specific purposes and not for random entertainment; let’s involve others in such activities, especially those who are not “on our side” concerning the other issues;
- Let’s be extremely cautious concerning our objectification of others, and let others see what we are doing when we treat all subjects as subjects and not as objects — if people sneer at us, it’s because we made them uncomfortable, and that’s good.
Let’s also be clear and calm in stating aloud the obvious — which sadly is not obvious anymore — following the example of the president-elect of Ireland, Catherine Connelly, who said in a recent interview: “It’s an obscenity to trade with a country which is committing genocide.”
In the book of Isaiah, we find the notion of a “remnant” of the people, which represents a possibility of salvation for all. It’s a variation in times of war on the theme of the people of Ancient Israel being called to be a blessing to all nations. The few are enough for the whole.
It’s not a matter of counting how many we are — even though events such as the landslide election of Connelly give us a boost — but it’s rather a matter of accepting and shouldering the responsibility that comes from the awareness, in humility and service.
*For ideas, see MediaAddictsAnonymous.org, 300 Things To Do Other Than Use Media
Banner Image: Renewal from the remnant: a fallen log serves as a nursery for a new Western hemlock tree, Schooner Trail, Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Wing-Chi Poon on Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
What hardships do you find in “being the remnant,” and how do you overcome them?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality & The Transformation of Christianity
8 thoughts on “The Remnant”
Good morning, it’s me again writing from Ireland. I hope you don’t mind if I point out to you that Catherine Connolly spells her name with an O, so it’s ConnOlly 😉
Also I’m writing totally on behalf of myself I don’t have a website or an affiliation with any group. It is simply that our president elect gives me hope as we travel through this darkness that seems to be the hallmark of our times.
Thank you for the beacon of light that is your daily meditations,
Caitriona
Thank you for today’s meditation.
Your three-fold response to the crisis before us brings hope.
We can live a life of awareness of the ecological devastation that is happening around us AND we can do simple things like planting trees, recycling, refusing to use pesticides and leaving leaves on the ground to feed and shelter the animals.
Reducing screen time is essential. Too many people doom-scroll to the point of despair. Social media is a tool; use it wisely. Turn on the TV and take nature walks, immerse yourself in silence, engage with real-life conversations.
The third point might be the hardest for many. We have been indoctrinated to define ourselves by what we hate rather than by what we love. Within each of us is a being of good and a being of evil. We need to feed the good so that it will win the battle.
Your question for reflection “what is the hardship in being the remnant?” prompts me to think, “why is hardship/sacrifice considered necessary in order to bring justice?” Live simply, honor the good within you and within others, find joy in nature and most of all don’t cling to the present moment. Good or bad, it is transient.
Personally, I find the word “remnant” in the English translations of the Bible too close to two concepts I prefer staying away from: that of “chosen people” and that of “leftovers.” We know too well the ego-inflation that comes with the first and the low self-esteem associated with the second, keeping in mind that, as Flaubert wrote, “The ultimate pride is to despise oneself.” Even if I were the last of the Mahicans, I doubt I would consider myself as “a remnant.” A survivor, maybe, a lucky one, surely, a grateful one absolutely, but not a “remnant,” there is too much peril being one. My tongue-in-cheek answer to today’s query for contemplation [What hardships do you find in “being the remnant,” and how do you overcome them?] is therefore something like “right church, wrong pew.” Play and humor are oxygen in our suffocating era.
” a possibility of salvation for all.” The Buddhist in me has held this belief and then realized this belief is delusional if one accepts that all is impermanent.
Great topic — how do we handle being part of the remnant? Thank you.
I help coordinate two spiritual support groups in two nursing homes where we meet biweekly at each. A friend and I meet once a month which we call Our Contemplative~Creation~Incarnational Spiritual Support Group open to spiritual seekers in the community. I’m also a member of a few contemplative spiritual support groups on the webinar. Personally I maintain my daily contemplative prayer, spiritual readings, and occasional spiritual webinars. My loving relationships with my own personal family are also very important to me. My loving prayers to Our suffering human world community and Our Sacred Mother Earth are also daily with Faith and openness to Our spiritual beings in the spiritual dimensions in the Divine Flow of LOVE~WISDOM~CREATIVITY in the Sacredness of the ETERNAL PRESENT MOMENT….
I find comfort in DM’s like this and those of Richard Rohr. His latest book, “The Tears of Things”, traces the process of coming to grips with structural evil as many of the prophets did–first anger, then grief and sadness, then compassion. The remnant is really just the minority, those living on the edge. But all great movements start small with small communities of like-minded, like-hearted people, even though it may take many, many years to come to fruition. So we have to be content with planting seeds or saplings and not expect to see the harvest or the tall trees. Having a sense of history that gives a sense of perspective helps me. And having communities of support is absolutely essential to me, whether it is in person or online.
We educators bear some responsibility for our “legitimation of cruelty.” Fox’s The A.W.E. Project shows how fragmented disciplines discourage relations of knowing and promote objectification. Even when we say we need to talk ABOUT this problem, we participate in the Cartesian objectifying perspective of a lonely subject examining an object. At best, we empower students to master details of WHAT they study, promoting objectification and discouraging creative contributions to a learning community. At worst, punitive grading practices (like “punitive parenting” discussed by Fox) intimidate students and make them quiet and lonely. Fearing mistakes (important to learning), they stop seeing themselves as subjects in relations of learning. As a language educator, I notice that educators and researchers in all fields tend to consider language as a neutral tool, as if language didn’t participate in building relations. A book (for all ages) by conflict resolution attorney Alessandra Sgubini, Healthy Language, Healthy Life, shows how healthy language practices support our abilities to relate to all living beings with love and respect.